Marcus Rashford may be offered the opportunity to reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, with Saudi interest shown in the Manchester United star.
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England international ready for 'new challenge'Would prefer to remain in European footballCould join CR7 & Co in the Middle EastFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
England international Rashford has admitted that he is “ready for a new challenge” after struggling for consistency with the Red Devils. Premier League heavyweights at Old Trafford will listen to offers for the 27-year-old forward.
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Finding a buyer may be tricky, though, as Rashford is working on a £325,000-a-week contract. His asking price has reportedly been dropped to around £40 million ($50m), but few clubs can afford to match his current salary – especially in Europe.
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According to , Rashford could be given the chance to head for the Saudi Pro League. Al-Nassr, who have United legend Ronaldo on their books, are being credited with interest, along with Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli.
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Al-Ittihad already have a full quota of non-Saudi players in their squad, but there may be a deal to be done elsewhere. Rashford would, however, prefer to remain in elite European competition – amid links to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain – and remains keen to rediscover his best form at the highest possible level.
Looking to continue their trend of stealing the headlines in the transfer window, Aston Villa have "moved" to sign a defensive reinforcement worth a reported £25m in recent days.
Aston Villa transfer news
Fresh from Champions League qualification, the Villans have been flexing their new-found European muscles this summer to welcome a total of eight fresh faces, with standouts such as Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana arriving. They've also managed to avoid any potential profit and sustainability issues courtesy of Douglas Luiz's and Moussa Diaby's departures to Juventus and Al-Ittihad respectively.
Diaby's sale, worth a reported £50m, may have injected even more money into Villa's summer spending fund too, which could see even more reinforcements arrive. Those in the Midlands have been linked to the likes of Joao Felix and even a free move for former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez, but it is a defensive reinforcement who could be next through the door.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa have now "moved" to sign Dean Huijsen in recent days. The Juventus teenager is reportedly valued at £25m by the Italian giants and has attracted interest from Bournemouth and Liverpool on top of Villa, with Huijsen set to decide on his next move "very soon".
Standing at 6ft 5in, it's no surprise that Huijsen has attracted such interest following an impressive loan spell at AS Roma last season. As Juventus look to raise funds, Villa could take full advantage by signing the 19-year-old this summer.
"Dominant" Huijsen can make immediate Villa impact
Whilst it would be easy to suggest that Huijsen is one for the future at 19 years old, his form at Roma last season proved that he's ready to compete for a place in first-team football, possibly at Aston Villa. Alongside the likes of Pau Torres and Diego Carlos, the teenager is more than capable of impressing Unai Emery enough to break into the Spaniard's side, especially given the number of games that Villa will have to manage in the coming season.
Diego Carlos in Premier League action for Aston Villa.
If the praise of Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig is anything to go by, describing the defender as "extremely dominant in the air", then £25m could quickly look like a bargain deal if Villa step up their move even further.
After making 14 appearances in Serie A last season, Huijsen may now get the chance to step into both the Premier League and Champions League at Villa Park.
There will be question marks from the get-go next season surrounding Steve Cooper being in the Leicester City hot-seat, considering the sour end he experienced with Nottingham Forest.
Only winning 11 of the 54 games he's overseen as manager in the Premier League also makes for some grim reading, but there is still positivity in the air at the King Power Stadium, owing to some developments in and out of the building.
Signings such as Caleb Okoli and Michael Golding joining the Foxes in recent days has raised spirits, alongside the fact it looks unlikely there will be another casualty in central midfield like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, as Wilfried Ndidi is now set to stay with the newly promoted side.
Leicester looking to sign Ndidi partner
With the Nigerian midfielder now performing a U-Turn to sign a new extended deal, according to football journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Leicester are on the hunt to sign the long-serving star a fresh partner in the middle of the park.
With both Golding and Harry Winks also offering depth in this area, Leicester will look to add Benfica gem Florentino Luis to their roster this off-season to really strengthen, ahead of their tricky voyage up to the Premier League.
According to Portuguese outlet Jornal De Noticias, the 24-year-old's future at his current employers hangs in the balance, with significant interest from the likes of Everton, Nottingham Forest and the Foxes emerging.
The Toffees have even previously fielded a bid in the region of £25m to try and tempt the in-demand Portuguese talent to Merseyside, with the same report also stating that Forest have had advances rejected in the past for Luis too, to move on to the City Ground.
Leicester might well have been eyeing up the 6 foot holding midfielder, fearful that Ndidi walking away would become a crushing reality, but they could now line up alongside each other next season in a swift change of events, if Luis chooses the King Power as his next onward destination.
What Luis can offer Leicester
Both Ndidi and Luis are comfortable playing in holding roles, but with Enzo Maresca operating with three central midfielders predominantly last campaign, the Leicester number 25 excelled in a more forward-focused role.
The long-standing Foxes servant would help himself to six goals and six assists in all competitions as his side stormed to the second-tier title, but Cooper will know that defensively sound performances will need to come next campaign as well, with Luis potentially adding more steel and grit to his new side centrally.
Ndidi's league numbers (23/24) vs Luis'
Stat – per 90 mins*
Ndidi
Luis
Games played
32
30
Goals scored
4
0
Assists
5
0
Touches*
37.8
55.4
Accurate passes*
21.5 (82%)
40.8 (89%)
Interceptions*
0.8
1.6
Tackles*
1.2
2.6
Ball recoveries*
3.3
4.1
Total duels won*
3.2
4.1
Stats by Sofascore
Comparing the two on Sofascore, Luis – who has been described by former Benfica coach Joao Tralhao as being a player "every coach would like" – would be able to shore up the Foxes ahead of their mission to comfortably survive in the top flight.
The Portuguese target doubled Ndidi's interceptions won total last season, on top of bettering him in other defensive aspects of their respective games.
Wilfred Ndidi
Luis would also benefit from the group that he will have around him at Leicester, having never played one minute of Premier League action across his career to date, whilst Winks and Ndidi are seasoned heads at the level.
Combined, both Winks and Ndidi have made an astounding 320 appearances in the top flight, with that total growing even larger soon.
Cooper could have his work cut out for him if the Foxes do experience a slow start to the season, but he will be confident that his new group can thrive back in the elite league, especially if signings such as Luis enter the building.
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Steve Cooper could shop again in Italy to bolster Leicester City going forward.
Herrera had a mixed run with Houston since joining MLS in 2022, so will the controversial exit from playoffs impact his future?
Hector Herrera's decision to spit in the direction of referee Armando Villarreal and subsequent red card generated a lot of headlines over the weekend. Unfortunately, it wasn't what the Houston Dynamo had in mind when they finally signed a big-name Mexico international star.
Herrera was supposed to herald a new era for a team that needed buzz. The designated player was supposed to be a box office draw who could bring a winning mentality and ultimately, trophies.
Instead, the Dynamo slumped to a disappointing early exit this season, losing to the Seattle Sounders in the First Round of the MLS playoffs. It's a steep decline from last year when they lifted the U.S. Open Cup after beating Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami and were just a win away from reaching the MLS Cup final.
GOAL US takes a look at the controversial moment for the midfielder and what it could mean for his future.
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Costly end to a promising season
The Dynamo turned in a strong regular season campaign in 2024. Ben Olsen’s team was playing better soccer than any Dynamo club in recent memory. Olsen has said on many occasions that the Dynamo go as far as Herrera goes. He went off the field early in Sunday's deciding playoff match, and the Dynamo went out of the playoffs.
Herrera's red card exit meant the Dynamo had to try to topple the Seattle Sounders with just 10 men. After a 1-1 draw, Herrera wasn’t there in the penalty shootout to take a kick. Neither was Adalberto Carrasquilla, the Panama star who was sent off for losing his head in the previous contest.
The margins were tight and Seattle ultimately went through. It’s tough for Dynamo fans not to wonder if that would’ve been the case had the team’s biggest star stayed disciplined.
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The apology
Herrera took to social media Monday to apologize for the incident.
“It hurts to have fallen like that after a great season,” Herrera wrote Monday afternoon on Instagram. “Personally, I apologize to all the fans and my teammates for yesterday’s sending-off. I’m sure we’ll work to come back stronger in 2025. Let’s go Houston Dynamo.”
The Dynamo have a club option to keep Herrera in town one more year – an option he clearly feels the team will pick up. It remains to be seen if the club feels as much certainty about Herrera being in their plans for next year as he does.
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Assessing Herrera's time in Houston
The highest-paid player on the club, with $5.2 million in guaranteed compensation, Herrera’s time in Houston has been full of highs and lows. He arrived from Atletico Madrid months before the 2022 World Cup, a tournament played with a different winter schedule because of the heat in host nation Qatar. Herrera admitted he played scared for most of his first season, afraid of picking up an injury that would deny him another crack at the World Cup. It showed, and the signing looked like a bust early on as he had just one assist on the season and no goals scored.
He has picked things up since, becoming a key player in the 2023 squad that lifted a trophy and came a playoff series away from winning another. Herrera logged 17 assists and four goals in MLS play over 2,534 minutes that year. This season, however, he’s struggled to make the same impact, ending the season with a goal and three assists in 1,616 minutes. While still a key piece, Herrera’s influence was less important this season, and he wasn’t able to put together the same impactful stats he did in the successful 2023 campaign.
Although he is now 34, Herrera will have options if Houston decides to cut ties. Still, the idea of going to another MLS team or making a return to Liga MX, where he developed with Pachuca, doesn’t seem to be how he sees his playing days ending.
“I would be delighted to be able to finish here with Houston,” Herrera said earlier this year. “I am very happy with the city, with the team, with the people, the way they treat me here, and I think that is the most important thing, no?”
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Future with Houston and Mexico?
Perhaps that treatment Herrera highlighted speaks to his desire to return. Herrera historically has been underrated as a Mexico national team player. He never had the goals of Chicharito, the success in the top European leagues of Andres Guardado, or the World Cup heroics of Guillermo Ochoa. Yet, there’s a reason we recently ranked him in the top 10 of the best Mexico players of the 21st century. Herrera was a key piece to Mexico’s best midfield in the modern era, able to shuttle the ball forward or help in recovery, teaming to great effect with Guardado and a midfield stopper.
As Mexico struggles through a generational change in which it continues to trot out the unpopular Charly Rodriguez as a No. 8 option, a return to El Tri shouldn’t be out of the question. Yet, Herrera now must wait a long four months to get back on the field and state his case. While he spoke in 2022 about potentially retiring from the national team, he’s yet to do so formally and started a September 2023 friendly under manager Jaime Lozano.
Instead, it seems, he's still waiting for one last opportunity to show he can live up to the hype. It may be a long wait, just like the one this offseason as he either counts down the days he can make up his indiscretion to the Dynamo fans or figures out what his next – and potentially last – step will be.
If the Red Devils discover that he is available for sale, then official talks will begin between the two clubs.
The Italian side will reportedly look to receive a higher figure than their previous valuation of £12m, particularly after his role for Switzerland at the European Championship.
Why Dan Ndoye would be perfect for Joshua Zirkzee
This time last year, Ndoye was trying to make a name for himself back in Switzerland, playing for a Basel side that only finished fifth in the league.
However, fast forward to today, and he has just come off the back of a promising first campaign in the Serie A for Bologna, making 20 starts.
The 23-year-old is a versatile attacker who can play on either flank as well as having the ability to play more centrally, and despite only scoring once in the Italian top flight, he’s making waves at Euro 2024.
Switzerland’s talented youngster has become a key player as they secured qualification to the knockouts, starting each game and scoring against Group A favourites Germany.
Goals
0.38
Top 77%
Shots
3.46
Top 91%
Successful take-ons
2.31
Top 86%
Progressive carries
5.38
Top 86%
Carries into final third
3.08
Top 91%
Tackles
1.92
Top 86%
However, as you can see from his average stats so far in the tournament, he’s been absolutely fantastic, even boasting similar stats to the likes of Jamal Musiala and Cody Gakpo, as per FBref.
Ndoye is an extremely direct and quick attacker who tends to create opportunities via his dribbling rather than his passing or vision.
Alongside Zirkzee, who’s a technical player himself – with football analyst Ben Mattinson saying that “he’s 6"4 but turns like he’s 5”9" – Ndoye would be able to combine brilliantly, making United’s attack less predictable.
Furthermore, due to Zirkzee’s tendency to drop deeper to get on the ball, as shown by his FBref rank in the top 91% for attacking touches in the mid-third, Ndoye would provide the movement in behind to stretch the pitch and allow the Dutch ace to work his magic.
Manchester United transfer target Joshua Zirkzee in action in Serie A.
The Bologna number 11 is also excellent on the counterattack, with ball-carrying being one of his biggest strengths, as shown by his progressive carries and carries into the penalty area.
Yet, the main reason why he’d be perfect for Zirkzee is the fact that they worked together all last season at Bologna, so their understanding of each other's game will already be developed.
Overall, it’s clear that the "highly talented" Ndoye, as called by football scout Antonio Mango, has all the attributes needed to thrive at a club like Man United, and all that he needs is an environment that will promote his growth as a player.
What Man Utd's dream XI could look like after £230m spending spree
Since the takeover by the Saudi PIF back in 2021, Newcastle United have conducted excellent business in the transfer market that has seen the club transform from relegation candidates to European hopefuls.
Eddie Howe, the man at the helm for the Magpies, has done an excellent job in creating a settled side with all the investment, with the vast majority of the signings making a huge impact at St James’ Park.
Alexander Isak has undoubtedly been the best addition out of the bunch, scoring 35 times in his 67 appearances for the club since his £63m move to Tyneside from Real Sociedad.
Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak
Anthony Gordon has also excelled since his big-money move to St James’ Park, with his figure of 21 goal contributions catching the eye of Chelsea in particular who have registered interest in the winger already this summer.
However, the club are lacking that third option in the frontline to really push the Magpies back towards the Champions League places, but their hunt may be coming to an end, with the club identifying one player who could fill the void.
Newcastle battling PL rivals to sign £42m youngster
According to German outlet Sport Bild, Newcastle are interested in signing Mainz right-winger Brajan Gruda who could be available for €50m (£42m) this summer.
Fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are also said to be interested in signing the 20-year-old, with Bundesliga outfits RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich also in the race to secure his signature.
The interest in the youngster is hardly a surprise, given his record of four goals and three assists in his 19 league starts last season, but the report states he wants to move to a side where he can guarantee regular first-team minutes.
Miguel Almiron has been the club’s most senior right-hand option in recent years, but with his future up in the air, the Magpies could sign Gruda who has the ability to solve the club’s issues.
Why Gruda would be the perfect player alongside Gordon
With Gruda being predominantly a right-sided attacker, he would be brought in to play alongside the wanted Gordon and replace the Paraguayan who could be set for a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia if reports are to be believed.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe withMiguelAlmiron
His addition would undoubtedly improve the forward line, providing an upgrade on Almiron whilst potentially able to form a deadly partnership with fellow winger Gordon.
During the 2023/24 campaign, Gruda – who is said to possess a "monstrous" left foot by analyst Ben Mattinson – dominated Almiron in numerous key areas. That included goals and assists despite featuring in five fewer matches than the 30-year-old.
The “superb” talent as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has also dominated with his progressive carries, completing 22 more than the current Magpies attacker – a tally that would create more frequent opportunities for Isak and Gordon should he arrive on Tyneside.
Games
33
28
Goals & assists
4
7
Percentage of shots on target
29%
40%
Take-ons completed
44%
47%
Progressive carries
78
100
Goals & assists per 90
0.2
0.4
Gruda has also completed 3% more of the take-ons he attempted last campaign, providing more of an end product – contributing double the number of goals and assists per 90.
He may be a costly addition to Howe’s side, but he’s demonstrated key qualities that could improve his Newcastle side despite his tender age.
Newcastle player Anthony Gordon
With the German only breaking through into professional football over the past couple of years, he’s still finding his feet, but the sky is the limit for the talented youngster with Newcastle potentially able to sign a long-term replacement for the right-wing position.
Newcastle must consider selling Howe favourite who's worth more than Minteh
The club are still looking to offload players despite the passing of the PSR deadline.
Eoin Morgan’s stint as Kolkata Knight Riders captain began with an eight wicket defeat
Deivarayan Muthu16-Oct-20203:00
Chopra: Chahar, a new generation of legspinner
After the Mumbai Indians’ attack fired in unison to keep Kolkata Knight Riders to 148 for 5, they sauntered to the target with eight wickets and 19 balls to spare in Abu Dhabi to seal their fifth successive victory. The result set up a two-way tie at the top of the IPL leaderboard with the Delhi Capitals.Trent Boult found swing with the new ball, legspinner Rahul Chahar took down both Shubman Gill and Dinesh Karthik off successive balls, and Jasprit Bumrah aced his match-up against Andre Russell, reducing the Knight Riders to 61 for 5. However, Pat Cummins counter-punched his way to his first T20 half-century and even outscored the Knight Riders’ new captain Eoin Morgan in an unbroken 87-run partnership off 56 balls.The late charge gave the Knight Riders something to bowl at, but the target looked a whole lot smaller once Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock rattled off 51 in the powerplay.Quinton de Kock swings down the ground•BCCIKKR dig themselves into a hole In contrast, the Knight Riders scrounged 33 for 2 in their powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav at backward point pulled off an excellent diving catch to remove Rahul Tripathi for 7 off 9 balls. A fit-again Nathan Coulter-Nile, who had replaced fellow Australian James Pattinson, then had Nitish Rana gloving a lifter behind for 5 off 6 balls.Gill gulped down ten dots out of the 23 deliveries he faced and holed out for 21, trying to clear long-on. In the same over, Karthik dragged a sweep back onto his stumps for 4 off 8 balls. When Bumrah bounced out Russell for 12, the Knight Riders were five down in the 11th over.Cummins pulls them out Morgan, too, started slowly, and was on 23 off 25 balls at the start of the final over of the innings. Cummins then crunched Coulter-Nile for four to raise a 35-ball fifty. He sized up Coulter-Nile’s on-pace and slower length balls, carting him for 20 off seven balls. Cummins’ knock could have been cut short at 36 had de Kock not dropped a skier off Bumrah near the short third-man region.Cummins regularly jumped across off to target the shorter leg-side boundaries whenever Coulter-Nile and Boult missed their lengths. Morgan, too, helped himself to two sixes off Coulter-Nile in the last over to haul the Knight Riders closer to 150. The Rohit-de Kock show Offspinner Chris Green, who was picked in place of Tom Banton, took the new ball and found swing with his arm balls, but his first delivery was too short and wide, with Sharma nonchalantly putting it away for four. It was a portent of what was to follow in the chase.Sharma then went after seamer Prasidh Krishna, taking him for back-to-back fours in the third over. Morgan then matched up Green with de Kock, and the spinner drew a top edge, but Varun Chakravarthy missed a tough catch running back from short fine leg. De Kock was reprieved on 20. He zoomed to a 25-ball fifty – his third in his last four innings – to punish the Knight Riders.Sharma was dismissed for 35 and Suryakumar for 10, but Hardik Pandya (21*) helped apply the finishing touches with three fours and a six.
Ivan Toney scored twice for Al-Ahli to break his Saudi Pro League duck and as it turns out the striker promised to score a brace just days earlier.
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Toney opens Al-Ahli goal account
Scores brace in win over Damac
Promised he would score twice
Getty Images
WHAT HAPPENED?
Toney made the sensational move from Brentford to Al-Ahli as the Saudi Pro League side looked to sign a striker. The English forward had been competing with Napoli's Victor Osimhen to make the move to Saudi and Al-Ahli decided to take on a punt on the Brentford striker.
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After going goalless through his first two games for Al-Ahli, Toney turned up in style against Damac in his third official game for the side, scoring twice to secure a 4-2 win for Al-Ahli. It was then revealed by an official Al-Ahli cameraman, who had been photographing the match from the sideline, that Toney had promised him on WhatsApp that he would score two goals in Al-Ahli's next match. In his message to the cameraman, Toney had texted him 'Next game 2 goals'.
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Former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino and former Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga were also on the scoresheet for Al-Ahli as they look to chase down early league leaders Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal for the lead of the Saudi Pro League standings.
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WHAT NEXT FOR TONEY?
The England striker will hope to continue this form into the rest of the month for Al-Ahli as he looks to enter the England squad once again under Lee Carsley after having been left out of the squad in the September international break.
Harry Kane said he's "enjoying every moment" of his Bayern Munich career as the England striker received the European Golden Shoe on Tuesday.
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Kane scored 36 goals last season
Bayern failed to win a trophy
Kompany leading new Bayern era
WHAT HAPPENED?
Kane was reflecting on his first year at Bayern Munich as he received the European Golden Shoe at a ceremony at the club's museum on Tuesday. Despite failing to win a trophy in 2023-24, the England international has no regrets over his move from Tottenham Hotspur and called it "one of the best decisions" he's ever made.
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Kane was electrifying in his debut season in Germany, scoring 36 goals in the Bundesliga to claim the European Golden Shoe ahead of VfB Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy (28 goals), Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Erling Haaland (both 27). Yet Bayern's struggles on the pitch – they finished third in the league, 18 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen – cost Thomas Tuchel his job, and Vincent Kompany will try to return the Bavarians to the summit of the German football pyramid.
WHAT KANE SAID
"Joining FC Bayern was one of the best decisions I've made in my life," Kane said. "I'm enjoying every moment of it so far."
On the club's ambitions for this season, the 31-year-old added: "I want to carry on the way I started last season, but the important thing is that we win trophies. We want to claim successes as a team."
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WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?
The Kompany era has started with two wins, over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal and Wolfsburg in the league. Kane was only able to record an assist in the dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Wolfsburg, but he'd love to get on the scoresheet when Bayern take on Freiburg on Sunday.